In brief: Lincare extends employee agreements

Lincare extends employee agreements

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Lincare CEO John Byrnes can look forward to pulling in at least $896,816 a year for three more years. Lincare has extended employment agreements with Byrnes, COO Shawn Schabel ($598,177 a year) and CFO Paul Gabos ($448,408 a year) until Dec. 31, 2012, according to Oct. 5 filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The agreements call for pay raises starting Jan. 1, 2010, equal to the annual percentage increase in the consumer price index. The executives are also eligible for annual bonuses: 200% of their salaries, or another percentage tied to Lincare's actual earnings per share vs. projected earnings per share.



CMS issues reminder, schedules 'open call'

BALTIMORE - CMS last week reminded providers who plan to bid in Round 1.2 of national competitive bidding to have their backup authorized official (BAO) registered. CMS had recommended that BAOs register by Oct. 9. Authorized officials (AOs) should already be registered. If they're not, the provider risks delays in accessing the online bidding system to get a bidder number. Both the AO and the BAO must be listed on the CMS-855S enrollment form. The registration window closes Nov. 4 at 9 p.m. EST. In other news, CMS last week announced that the seventh in a series of Special Open Door Forums on competitive bidding at 3:30 p.m. EST on Oct. 14 will be an "open call." Officials plan to answer questions about the bidding process. Submit questions to cbic.teleconference@PalmettoGBA.com. To listen to the call, dial 1-800-837-1935 and use the ID 35206461.



Feuer lands a new gig

DULUTH, Ga. - Louis Feuer, one of the industry's most popular business consultants, has teamed up with Brightree to enhance the marketing and salesforce productivity features for the company's HME/DME business management software. The new offering, BrightSales, has been designed to improve salesforce automation capabilities, according to a company release.



Medline opens energy-efficient building

DUBUQUE, Iowa - Medline Industries opened a "green" 66,000-square foot facility in September. The new facility features energy efficient lighting and solar-tracking skylights, tank-less hot water heaters and a geothermal heating system. These and other green technologies resulted in an electrical use reduction of 320,565 kWh, which avoids more than 230 metric tons of carbon dioxide. This is equivalent to eliminating the carbon emissions from 26,131 gallons of gasoline consumed or 535 barrels of oil consumed. The building will house the manufacturer's 275 customer service employees.



New exec onboard at U.S. Rehab

WATERLOO, Iowa - Greg Packer has been named director of operations for The VGM Group's U.S. Rehab. He joins VGM from Pride Mobility Products, where he worked most recently as regional coordinator for the Midwest region. U.S. Rehab President Jerry Keiderling will now spend more time helping members diversify their revenue streams, the company stated in a release.



Advanced expands regional footprint

HIGH POINT, N.C. - Advanced Home Care acquired Lexington, Va.-based Home Oxygen Services, the company announced last week. Home Oxygen Services was previously part of Carilion Clinic Stonewall Jackson Hospital and focused on oxygen and nebulizers. Advanced Home Care will expand those services to include a full line of HME and pharmacy services. Advanced Home Care is a nonprofit organization with 28 branches throughout North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. The acquisition is the latest move in the provider's efforts to expand its regional footprint. In July, Advanced Home Care acquired Takoma Regional Health Services in Tennessee.



Sunrise, Kids UP alter partnership

LONGMONT, Colo. - Sunrise Medical and Kids UP have changed their partnership agreement. Effective Oct. 5, all customer service, sales support, funding questions, orders, warranty or parts, and quotes for Kids UP mobility products will be handled directly by Kids UP through its facility in Belgrade, Mont. In addition, any product quotes with requested delivery dates after Oct. 5 may be directed to Kids UP. Kids UP will continue to offer Whitmyer, AES and ComfortFit's positioning components with Kids ROCK products as a distributor for Sunrise Medical.